Locking device for a closure cap

ABSTRACT

A closure cap for a container is disclosed which has a body disposed over e mouth of a container. The body has a passage for fluid flow from the mouth of the container to an opening. The closure cap also has a top plate pivotally attached to the body for movement between open and closed positions. A locking lever is provided which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis and having a fulcrum so that the upper end of the locking lever can be located in the path of movement of the top plate when it is closed to thereby obstruct movement of the top plate to the open position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a closure cap for the mouth of containers,particularly those used to store cleaning agents, cosmetics and thelike, consisting of a main body which can be placed over the mouth ofthe container in fluid-tight fashion and has at least oneproduct-metering opening which can be closed by a tubular sealingelement, and a top plate, through which the media can flow, attached tothe main body in pivoting fashion such that the container mouth can besealed tight or opened as required.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A sealing device of this kind is known from German Patent Application P195 41 830. In the sealing device disclosed there, the product-meteringopening is released by applying pressure to one side of the top plate,so that the medium contained in the container can flow out. The topplate can be locked in different positions by nibs, so that theproduct-metering opening can be opened more or less to increase ordecrease the corresponding flow of product. However, the unintentionalopening of the closure cap cannot be prevented. This is particularlyproblematic when the containers are transported and the closure cap isopened by objects striking or resting against the top plate, forexample.

A sealing device for a container is known from EP-A-585 501 which has aseparate component intended to prevent the top plate from being presseddown.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,920 discloses a pump for a container, where thepressing down of the pump button is intended to be prevented by lockingelements provided on the pump station.

The invention is thus based on the task of further developing a genericclosure cap such that it is impossible to open it unintentionally bypressing down the top plate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, the task is solved in that at least twoslits are provided in the lateral surface of the main body which runessentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body, thusforming a locking lever between the slits which is connected to the mainbody by bridges of material, and in that the top plate can be firmlylocked in the closed position by the locking lever.

The closure cap is preferably designed such that the locking deviceengages at least one recess provided on the top plate, or can bepositioned underneath the top plate. This provides for positive, securelocking.

At least two slits are provided in the lateral surface of the main bodywhich run essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mainbody, thus forming a locking lever between the slits which is connectedto the main body by bridges of material. Designing the locking device asa locking lever in this way greatly simplifies the manufacture of theclosure cap, as the locking lever need not be mounted as an additionalcomponent using nibs which rest in suitably designed recesses, forexample, but rather can be integrally molded directly on the main body.Instead of the slits being integrally molded or provided for in themold, they can be cut into the main body later on in the manner of theslits described above, thus forming a locking lever. Conventionalclosure caps, which have no locking lever and no recesses in theinjection mold, can thus also be provided with a locking lever of thiskind in a subsequent process. The bridges of material formed between thelocking lever and the main body are designed such that they haveadequate pretension and stability to ensure locking of the closure cap.

In a particularly preferred configuration, the lateral surface of themain body in the region of the locking lever has a recess whose lowestpoint is roughly located in the region of the bottom edge of the topplate in the closed state. Thus, the locking lever can easily engageunder the bottom rim of the top plate without necessitating theprovision of an additional locking device, such as a groove or the like,to engage the locking lever. If the upper face end of the locking leverprojects slightly beyond the bottom rim of the top plate, the engagingof the locking lever under the top plate ensures that the connection iskept under tension and that the locking lever cannot pop out on its own.

It is particularly advantageous when the lateral surface of the mainbody has four slits running essentially parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the main body, where two on the upper face end of the main bodyand two on the lower face end of the main body run towards one another,thus forming bridges of material between the opposing slits.

Each pair of slits running towards one another from the opposing faceends of the main body is preferably collinear. In this way, the lockinglever is in the shape of a tab in the main body. The locking lever canalso be of some other expedient shape, such as tapered. The closure capaccording to the invention is preferably injection-molded from plastic.In order to emphasize the locking lever and its position more clearly,it can be of a different color than the remaining main body. Similarly,recesses, grids or signal words, such as "Press", can be integrallymolded on the locking lever in order to clearly indicate its function tothe user.

In closure caps in which the main body has a transverse wall essentiallytransverse to the longitudinal axis and mounted on the inside of themain body, the slits are preferably positioned such that the bridges ofmaterial are at the height of the transverse wall. This internal mountbetween the locking lever and the transverse wall increases thedurability, as it forms another mounting surface in addition to thebridges of material. The mount between the transverse wall and thelocking lever can be designed such that it exerts an additional recoilforce or tension force on the locking lever.

In a preferred configuration of the closure cap according to theinvention, at least one snap nib is provided for at least one of theslits on the side wall of the main body and/or the locking lever. Thesnap nib functions as a return stop for the locking lever. A suitabledesign of the snap nib ensures that the locking lever can only beshifted out of/into its intended position by applying a requires minimumrecoil force. This makes it impossible to unintentionally release thelocking lever. The contact force generated between the snap nibs is thengreater than the recoil force exerted on the locking lever.

Snap nibs which engage one another are preferably provided on theopposing side walls of each slit. In this context, it is particularlyadvantageous when the snap nibs are positioned opposite one another.

The manufacture of the closure cap according to the invention can befurther simplified by integrally molded the snap nibs on the main bodyand/or the locking lever in one piece.

An example of the closure cap according to the invention is illustratedin the drawings and described in detail below based on the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings show the following:

FIG. 1 A side sectional view of the closure cap according to theinvention with the locking lever in the locked position,

FIG. 2 The view from FIG. 1 with the locking lever released and the topplate open,

FIG. 3 A side view of the closure cap according to the invention in thedirection of arrow III in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 An enlarged view of the locking lever, viewed in the direction ofarrow IV in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 An enlarged view of the locking lever, viewed in the direction ofarrow V in FIG. 2.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

As the drawings show, closure cap 1 consists of a main body 2 on which atop plate 4 is mounted in tiltable fashion by way of nibs (not shown)which engage pockets. Closure cap 1 is mounted on container mouth 3 byway of a neck 5 provided with an inside thread. This mount can bedesigned to be releasable or non-releasable. Instead of a thread, neck 5can also be mounted on container mouth 3 by way of other suitablemethods, such as a snap closure. Neck 5 is mounted on the inside of thelateral surface of main body 2 by a transverse wall 6 runningessentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the closure cap.

If the closure cap is moved from the closed position shown in FIG. 1into the open position shown by way of example in FIG. 2 by pressing topplate 4, the lower face end of tubular sealing element 7 is moved awayfrom sealing surface 8, the end of outlet channel 9 facing the insidewall of main body 2 tilts up and outlet opening 10 on the end of outletchannel 9 is thus positioned above the rim of main body.

However, before the closure cap is opened, locking lever 11, whichengages underneath the lower rim of top plate 4, must be moved from theclosed position. The user does this by applying pressure to lower end ofthe locking lever 11a. With the lever arm of locking lever 11, the forceapplied in this way releases locking lever 11 from its closed position.The fulcrum of the lever arm is at bridges of material 12, on which atorque is exerted by way of the lever arm. The material properties ofthe plastic of bridges of material 12 generates the corresponding recoilforce of locking lever 11. Locking lever 11 can also be molded from thestart such that it runs transverse to the lateral surface of main body2, so that upper end 11b always automatically assumes the closedposition and can only be moved from this closed position byintentionally applying pressure to lower end of the locking lever 11a.

The design of locking lever 11 is particularly clear in FIG. 3. Thelateral surface of main body 2 has four slits 13, 14 running essentiallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of main body 2, where two on the upperface end of the main body 15 and two on the lower face end of the mainbody 16 run towards one another, such that bridges of material 12 areformed between them. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, slits13 and 14 run parallel to the longitudinal axis of main body 2. Ofcourse, they can also run at an angle to the longitudinal axis of mainbody 2.

The lateral surface of main body 2 in the region of locking lever 11 hasa recess 17 whose lowest point 17a is roughly located in the region ofthe bottom edge of top plate 4. In the closed position, top plate 4rests on upper end of the locking lever 11b and locks it such that theunit is kept under constant pretension and it is impossible for theclosure cap to open voluntarily.

Alternatively, the closure cap can also be designed such that lowestpoint of the recess 17a is located above upper end of the locking lever11b. In this case, locking lever 11 then runs transverse to the lateralsurface of main body 2, so that it is automatically in the transverseposition and need not be held in this position by top plate 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, in particular, the inside of the upper end of thelocking lever has a snap pocket 18, against which at least the outerperipheral side of top plate 4 can be positioned. In the closedposition, the outer peripheral edge of top plate 4 rests inside thissnap pocket 18, as a result of which the positive fit ensures a tighterfit of locking lever 11. At the same time, the locking lever isprevented from being forced underneath top plate 4 during locking andpossibly breaking off.

However, the inside of locking lever 11 can also be provided with anadditional tab (not shown) which intentionally engages around the loweredge of top plate 4. In this case, the plastic of the closure cap, or ofthis tab, can be designed in two ways. On the one hand, it can bedesigned such that it releases the top plate when the locking lever isreleased by applying a specific, pre-determined force and, on the otherhand, it can be designed such that it breaks off during this releaseprocedure. The second solution thus also represents a tamper-proof sealfor closure cap 1 according to the invention.

As is shown particularly clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, snap nibs 19 areintegrally molded on the side walls of the main body and the lockinglever in one piece in the region of slits 13 described above. These snapnibs 19 are positioned such that they are opposite one another and areso large that they cannot slide by one another without an externallyapplied force. In FIG. 4, locking lever 11 is shown in its closedposition. In order to move locking lever 11 into the open position,illustrated in FIG. 5, the minimum force to be applied must be exceededby pressing on locking lever 11, so that snap nibs 19 are forced backdue to the elasticity of the plastic and the snap nibs can slide by oneanother into the position illustrated in FIG. 5. Thus, the closure capcan only be unlocked if the minimum force is applied, thus makingunintentional unlocking virtually impossible. At the same time, however,snap nibs 19 also hold locking lever 11 in its unlocked position,meaning that the user does not have to press locking lever 11 every timein order to open the closure cap and draw the medium out of thecontainer. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the snap nibs are located on upper end ofthe locking lever 11b. Of course, they can also be located at othersuitable points along slits 13 and 14, or several snap nibs can beprovided, as a result of which the corresponding minimum force to beapplied in order to unlock the locking lever becomes correspondinglylarger.

Bridges of material 12 need not be located in the position shown in FIG.3. They can also be located on lower end of the locking lever 11b, or onupper end of the locking lever 11a, this again changing the minimumforce to be applied. They can also be designed much wider thanillustrated in FIG. 3, this correspondingly changing the recoil force orthe force to be applied for unlocking to suit the conditions of use.

Locking lever 11 need not necessarily be as long as shown in FIG. 3. Itcan also be designed much shorter than the rest of closure cap 2, orextend beyond lower face side of the main body 16, so that it engages acorresponding recess provided on the container, for example.

The closure cap according to the invention makes it possible to preventunintentional opening, for example during transport. By varying thematerial design of the closure cap and the arrangement of snap nibs, theforce to be applied for unlocking can be selected as desired to suit theconditions of use. The manufacture of the closure cap according to theinvention is particularly simple, as no additional parts for the lockinglever need be fitted in separate steps, but rather the entire closurecap can be injection-molded in one piece. By appropriately designing thebridges of material and snap nibs, the lever can be fixed in either itsclosed or open position. In addition, the locking lever can beintegrally molded on the main body such that it automatically assumesthe closed position.

Alternate Designs

In another advantageous configuration, a snap pocket is provided on theinside of the upper face end the locking lever, against which at leastthe outer peripheral side of the closure cap can be positioned. On theone hand, this snap pocket ensures the proper seating of the lockinglever of the closure cap in the closed position. On the other hand, italso prevents the locking lever from sliding under the closure cap dueto the application of excessive forces, and possibly breaking off due toresultant excessive torsional forces. If it were to slide out, theclosure cap would also no longer be held in its intended position or theclosed position. Similar to the snap pocket, a snap tab which engagesaround the closure cap in the closed position can, of course, also beprovided. This tab can then also be designed such that it breaks offwhen the locking lever is moved from its closed position to the openposition. In this way, the locking lever simultaneously functions as atamper-proof seal.

The injection molds for the closure cap can be designed such that thelocking lever is transverse to the lateral surface of the main body.This increases the pretension of the locking lever. This can also ensurethat the locking lever automatically moves into the closed position,without having to be pretensioned by the user. The user must thendeliberately remove the locking lever each time in order to expose theproduct-metering opening of the closure cap.

On a closure cap designed without a recess and snap pocket, the insideof the upper end of the locking lever is preferably provided with atleast one nib which can be positioned underneath the rocker arm or whichengages a recess provided on the rocker arm. A positive fit is thusrealized even without a recess. Of course, the reverse is alsoconceivable, i.e. that the rocker arm is provided with a nib whichengages a groove corresponding to the rocker arm.

In a particularly advantageous configuration of the closure capaccording to the invention, the top plate is designed as a lid. The lidrests on the entire rim of the upper face end of the main body. However,the top plate may also extend over only a specific area of the uppersection of the closure cap, such that it forms a strip which can moveinside the closure cap surrounding it.

Although the description of this invention has been given with referenceto a particular embodiment, it is not to be construed in a limitingsense. Many variations and modifications of the invention will now occurto those skilled in the art. For a definition of the invention,reference is made to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a closure cap (1) for a container for fluid,said container having a mouth at its upper end, said closure cap beingof the type comprising a main body (2) disposed over the mouth (3) ofthe container in fluid tight relation, said main body havinglongitudinal axis and having a lateral opening with a movable sealingelement, a top plate (4) having a passage for fluid flow from the mouthof said container to said opening, said top plate (4) being pivotallyattached to said main body (2) for movement between open and closedpositions whereby the container mouth (3) can be sealed or opened bymovement of said sealing element with said top plate (4), theimprovement comprising:said main body (2) includes a locking lever (11)which extends in the direction of said longitudinal axis, said lockinglever having free upper and lower ends (11a,11b) with a fulcrumcomprising hinges (12) unitary with said lever and said main body, theupper end of said locking lever (11) being located in the path ofmovement of said top plate (4) when the top plate is closed to obstructmovement of the top plate to the open position.
 2. A closure cap asdefined in claim 1 wherein:said locking lever (11) is inclined outwardlyfrom said longitudinal axis at its upper end.
 3. A closure cap asdefined in claim 1 or 2 wherein:the locking lever (11) engages a recesson the top plate (4).
 4. A closure cap as defined in claim 1 or 2wherein:the lateral surface of the main body (2) in the region of thelocking lever (11) has a recess (17) with a lower end (17a) adjacent thelower edge of the top plate (4) in the closed position.
 5. A closure capas defined in claims 1 or 2 wherein:said upper end (11b) of said lockinglever (11) is bounded by a pair of slits (13) on its opposite sides,said lower end (11a) of said locking lever (11) is bounded by a pair ofslits (14) on its opposite sides, said slits (13,14) defining saidhinges, each of said hinges (12) being disposed between each pair ofslits (13,14).
 6. A closure cap as defined in claim 5 wherein:the slit(13) and the slit (14) on one side of said locking lever (11) arecollinear with each other and the slit (13) and the slit (14) on theother side of the locking lever (11) are collinear with each other.
 7. Aclosure cap as defined in claim 5 wherein:all of said slits (13,14)extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body(2).
 8. A closure cap as defined in claim 5 wherein:the main body (2)has a transverse wall (6), mounted on the inside of the main body (2),the slits (13,14) being located such that the transverse wall (6) joinsthe locking lever (11) at the pivot axis defined by the hinges (12). 9.A closure cap as defined in claim 5 wherein:at least one snap nib (19)is disposed adjacent one of the slits (13,14) on the side wall of themain body (2) for elastically resisting pivoting of the locking lever(11) between a first position which obstructs movement of the top plate(4) and a second position which does not obstruct movement of said topplate.
 10. A closure cap as defined in claim 5 wherein:at least one snapnib (19) is disposed adjacent to one of the slits (13,14) on the lockinglever (11) for elastically resisting pivoting of the locking lever (11)between a first position which obstructs movement of the top plate (4)and a second position which does not obstruct movement of said topplate.
 11. A closure cap as defined in claim 5 wherein:a first snap nib(19) is disposed adjacent one of the slits (13,14) on the side wall ofthe main body (2) and a second snap nib (19) is disposed opposite saidfirst snap nib on said locking lever (11) for elastically resistingpivoting of the locking lever (11) between a first position whichobstructs movement of the top plate (4) and the second position whichdoes not obstruct movement of said top plate.
 12. A closure cap asdefined in claim 1 or 2 wherein:a snap pocket (18) is disposed on theinside of the upper end of the locking lever (11b), said top plate (4)having a peripheral edge seated in said snap pocket when said top plateis closed.
 13. A closure cap as defined in claim 1 or 2 wherein:a snaptab on the upper end of the locking lever (11b), said tab engaging thetop plate (4) when said plate is closed for resisting sliding movementof said locking lever under the lower edge of the main body (2).
 14. Aclosure cap as defined in claim 1 or 2 wherein:a snap tab on the upperend of the locking lever (11b), said tab engaging the top plate (4) whensaid plate is closed, said tab being frangible so that it is broken whenthe locking lever is moved from its closed position to its open positionwhereby the tab functions as a tamper-proof seal.
 15. In a closure cap(1) for a container for fluid, said container having a mouth at itsupper end, said closure cap being of the type comprising a main body (2)disposed over the mouth (3) of the container in fluid tight relation,said main body having longitudinal axis and having a lateral openingwith a movable sealing element, a top plate (4) having a passage forfluid flow from the mouth of said container to said opening, said topplate (4) being pivotally attached to said main body (2) for movementbetween open and closed positions whereby the container mouth (3) can besealed or opened by movement of said sealing element with said top plate(4), the improvement comprising:said main body (2) includes a lockinglever (11) which extends in the direction of said longitudinal axis,said locking lever having free upper and lower ends (11a,11b) with afulcrum comprising hinges (12) unitary with said lever and said mainbody, the upper end of said locking lever (11) being located in the pathof movement of said top plate (4) when the top plate is closed toobstruct movement of the top plate to the open position, said lockinglever (11) engaging a recess on the top plate (4) and the lateralsurface of the main body (2) in the region of the locking lever (11)having a recess (17) with a lower end (17a) adjacent the lower edge ofthe top plate (4) in the closed position.
 16. A closure cap as definedin claim 15 wherein:said upper end (11b) of said locking lever (11) isbounded by a pair of slits (13) on its opposite sides, said lower end(11a) of said locking lever (11) is bounded by a pair of slits (14) onits opposite sides, said slits (13,14) defining said hinges, each ofsaid hinges (12) being disposed between each pair of slits (13,14). 17.A closure cap as defined in claim 16 wherein:at least one snap nib (19)is disposed adjacent one of the slits (13,14) on the side wall of themain body (2) for elastically resisting pivoting of the locking lever(11) between a first position which obstructs movement of the top plate(4) and a second position which does not obstruct movement of said topplate.
 18. A closure cap as defined in claim 17 wherein:a snap tab onthe upper end of the locking lever (11b), said tab engaging the topplate (4) when said plate is closed for resisting sliding movement ofsaid locking lever under the lower edge of the main body (2).